Hi, I’m Jess, and I wear many hats…

I write.
I always have. My first love was travel and food writing, because I love exploring the ways we’re connected, rather than how we’re different. That said, I love writing in all of its forms, and have independently published a few books, ranging from children’s to memoir.

I photograph.
I don’t know who bought me my first camera, but since that day, I’ve never been without one. I primarily love photographing people in street-photography style, as well as abandoned and decrepit buildings. I love to tell stories through images of scenes that most people wouldn’t usually give a second glance at.

I craft.
Making art has always been a lifeline for me, and more and more research is confirming the enormous benefits of the creative arts for mental health and wellbeing. I was that kid hoarding toilet rolls and fabric scraps, and turning them into artwork, and not a lot has changed (other than a slightly bigger supply budget). These days, I dabble in arts of all sorts – crochet, embroidery, painting, mosaics, drawing, collage, knitting, clay, I’ll give anything a go!

I advocate for better mental health.
I do this because of my own lived experience. I’ve lived with mental ill-health for 25 years, and I know the dangers of the stigma many people still associate with it. I’m particularly passionate about mental health and wellbeing for exhausted, overwhelmed, burnt-out mums, because I know so many of them (I am one of them!).

I don’t fit into a neat box.
I tried so hard for so long to make myself fit in. To have a super fun and engaging website when I wanted to pursue travel blogging. To have a professional website when I wanted to pursue the idea of being a traditionally published author. To be what I thought different industries wanted. But now, I’m done trying to fit in. I love what I love. And, right now, sharing my passions (because I think they might contribute in some small ways to the lives of others) feels a lot more important to me than trying to impress people I’ve never met in the hopes of scoring a job or contract that doesn’t exist!

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When I’m not doing all of the things (working in community health, studying for my Diploma of Creative Arts & Health, parenting my little fire-cracker, and keeping the house running), I’m probably just trying to finish a cup of tea before it goes cold!